1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to an internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus for efficiently recording an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
One type of image recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet-like recording medium with a laser beam is known as an internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus. The internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus has a hollow cylindrical drum with a sheet-like recording medium attached to an inner circumferential surface thereof, and an optical system disposed coaxially in the drum for guiding a laser beam to the recording medium.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18 of the accompanying drawings, a spinner 4 disposed coaxially in a hollow cylindrical drum 6 has a reflecting surface inclined at 45xc2x0 to the optical axis of a laser beam L which is emitted from a laser beam source 2 positioned outside of the drum 6. When the spinner 4 is rotated about its own axis at a high speed and axially displaced along the central axis of the drum 6, the reflecting surface of the spinner 4 reflects the laser beam L to a recording medium F attached to an inner circumferential surface of the drum 6 to record a two-dimensional image on the recording medium F.
Since the recording medium F is attached to the inner circumferential surface of the drum 6, the recording medium F is prevented from being accidentally peeled off the drum 6 while the image is being recorded on the recording medium F, and the image can be recorded on the recording medium F with high dimensional accuracy.
The drum 6 has a slot 8 defined partly therein for allowing the recording medium F to be attached therethrough to the inner circumferential surface of the drum 6. Since no image is recorded while the laser beam L reflected by the reflecting surface of the spinner 4 traverses the slot 8, the internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 18 suffers a waste of time and laser beam energy while in operation. As a result, the internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 18 records an image on the recording medium F with relatively low efficiency.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus which is capable of recording an image efficiently on a recording medium.
A major object of the present invention is to provide an internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus which is capable of effectively utilizing a light beam for recording an image on a recording medium.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus which is capable of shortening a period of time to record an image on a recording medium.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an internal-surface-scanning image recording apparatus which is of a relatively simple construction for recording an image efficiently on a recording medium.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.